David and Bathsheba (1951)

Very well executed

Load of rubbish!!

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This film is based entirely on a passage from the life of King David, in which he falls in disgrace before God by engaging with a married woman. Anyone who knows the Bible minimally or has attended Sunday School knows or has heard about this story, so the script doesn't bring us any surprises. What is most pleasing here is to see the humanity and fallibility of David, an anointed king, chosen by God, but who didn't cease to be a human and to make mistakes, for which he was punished.Gregory Peck is the main actor and gives us an intense, human performance. Initially vain to the point of being a braggart, Peck's David turns a victim of his own pride. Neither he, a king, was above the law or immune to divine wrath. It was a work that grew as the film progressed to the end and dramatic tension increased. Susan Hayward is Bathsheba, a married woman, clearly more vivid than the young king she deliberately provokes. The actress is very beautiful, has talent and was surely a good choice for the role. Jayne Meadows (in the role of David's first wife), Raymond Massey (who played the prophet Nathan) and Kieron Moore (the young and dedicated Uriah) were also excellent additions to the cast, fulfilling their roles with great merit.Technically, the film has only minor flaws. Costumes are good and magnificent to look at, but I didn't like that Jewish star always on Peck's chest. I knew that this symbol only became attached to the Jews in the Middle Ages, so that detail stank of anachronism. The sets were excellent and grandiose, as Hollywood got us used to when it comes to biblical epics. The beauty of colors and photography that Technicolor provides are something delicious for our eyes, perhaps even better than many of the digital features we are used to now. Soundtrack is good, but it doesn't stand out as in "Ten Commandments" or "Ben Hur".

It would have been nice if the screen writer would have read the Bible first... This is ridiculous and much of the dialogue ludicrous... I found myself laughing. Michael berating her husband. She would have been dead for entering his chambers without an invitation. But my two favorite stupid lines: 1st Bathsheba: "Perhaps you would prefer truth to honesty, Sire". Time to get out the thesaurus! And 2nd, King David: "That soldier who laid his hands on the Ark - he was only trying to be helpful". Seriously stupid lines! Some of the movie is cute like David showing off for Bathsheba by trying to hit a tree with a rock in his sling. But overall, it's a love story of sorts, with adultery, murder, battles and David freaking out - but not Bible based. Susan Hayward is lovely and of course a great actress although I've never thought of Bathsheba as a red-head! Ha! Gregory Peck is charming as ever and makes a handsome David. It's a nice story just not based on fact. If you want to see real Bible stories watch the new Bible Series (2013).

I am quite surprised at the quite low rating for David and Bathsheba. True, it does get rather ponderous in its pace and some scenes go on for too long, but for me actually it is quite an interesting film. The film does look great, the photography is colourful and just lovely, while the sets and costumes are surprisingly evocative. As is Alfred Newman's score, which is also very beautiful and stirring.I also thought Henry King did a credible job directing the film, and the script is quite literate and thoughtful. The story is interesting on the whole, some scenes as I've said do drag and don't serve as much purpose to the story as much as it would have liked, but the famous fight with Goliath flashback is cleverly staged and the last fifteen minutes moved me. The acting is fine, Gregory Peck oozes with nobility here and I am still trying to get over how handsome he looks. Susan Hayward is both ravishing and sensitive, while Raymond Massey is excellent as the prophet Nathan.All in all, not a perfect film, but interesting. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I've always believed that David and Bathsheba was a film originally intended for Tyrone Power at 20th Century Fox, although Gregory Peck does give a good account of himself as King David, the monarch with a wandering eye.A whole lot of biblical subjects get covered in this film, adultery, redemption, sin, punishment and generally what God expects from his followers.When you're a king, even king in a biblically prophesied kingdom you certainly do have a lot of prerogatives not open to the rest of us. King David has many wives, including one really vicious one in Jayne Meadows who was the daughter of Saul, David's predecessor. But his eyes catch sight of Bathsheba out in her garden one evening. Turns out she's as unhappily married to Uriah the Hittite as David is to quite a few women. Uriah is one of David's army captains. David sends for Bathsheba and him being the King, she comes a runnin' because she's had her eye on him too.What happens, an affair, a pregnancy, and a carefully arranged death for Uriah in a battle. But an all seeing and knowing Deity has caught all of this and is not only punishing David and Bathsheba, but the entire Kingdom of Israel is being punished with drought, disease, and pestilence.The sexist law of the day calls for Bathsheba to have a stoning death. David shows weakness in his previous actions, but here he steps up to the plate and asks that the whole thing be put on him. He even lays hands on the Ark of the Covenant which was an instant death as seen in the film.My interpretation of it is that God admires guts even if you're wrong and he lets up on David and forgives them both. Bathsheba becomes the mother of Solomon and she and David are the ancestors of several successors in the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah until they're both conquered.Susan Hayward is a fetching Bathsheba caught in a loveless marriage with Uriah played by Kieron Moore. The only thing that gets Moore aroused is a good battle. I liked Kieron Moore's performance as a brave and rather stupid horse's rear. No one can lay the law down like Raymond Massey. His Nathan the Prophet is in keeping with the John Brown character he played in two films, same intensity. So when His own law called for death, why did God spare Bathsheba and keep David on the throne. Maybe it was the fact He just didn't want to train a third guy for the job. He'd replaced Saul with David already. But I think the Christian interpretation might be that this was a hint of the New Testament forthcoming, that one might sin and receive mercy if one asks for it penitently. I'll leave it to the biblical scholars to submit interpretations.Watch the film and you might come up with an entirely new theory.